Chapter Six

As they walked to her door, Lyssa grinned at Sabrin. “I guess my neighbors aren’t used to me having over night guests that stay in the same room as me. Something they’ll have to get used to,” she smirked. Sabrin pulled her from the door to his arms.

“I think they will, but does this mean you haven’t been with anyone in a while?”

Lyssa rolled her eyes at him. Pushing him away, she got the door open. “You wish,” she said and went inside.

“So, you’re not going to tell me?” Sabrin asked, following her in and closing the door behind them.

“Do I get a list of your past lovers if I give you mine? And is that really information that you want?”

Lyssa hung up her coat and reached out for his.

“I was just curious about what made you decide to break into my room.”

"Are you sure you really want to know?" she seemed reluctant to want to part with the details of her life before him.

"I’d like to know how I became the luckiest man on Earth."

"Okay then. There were a series of events in my life that brought me to your room starting a little over two years ago with a very bad break-up with a man I had been involved with for three years. My self-esteem was pretty much shot. I felt unwanted, undesirable..." her voice trailed off momentarily before she continued. "I had a series of disastrous dates that didn't help matters at all. Sonny was such a rock for me. He actually convinced me I wasn’t the one with the problem, it was the men." She smiled. "He came up with an idea, a way for me to prove to myself that I was desirable. He wanted me to choose a man I found to be extremely sexy and seduce him, but it had to be someone I would never see again after. I thought he was nuts but once Sonny comes up with what he thinks is the solution to a problem, he's relentless. It wasn't until I saw you were going to be in Denver that I started to think seriously about his idea. If you rejected me, I could come up with a million reasons why that wouldn't affect my self-esteem but if you didn't, I would feel wanted again. Now it's your turn, why didn't you kick me out?"

They were sitting on the couch as Sabrin grinned at her. "I would think that would be obvious. I'm a shallow, horny male."

Lyssa laughed, but looked disappointed.

Sabrin took hold of her hand and lifted her chin. "You turned me on, you flattered me, you intrigued me and then you did the unimaginable. You made me fall in love with you. I know they say that men equate sex with love. Maybe they're right. I know I enjoy it more with you than any other woman I have ever been with before. But there was more to it than that. I was terrified of losing you. I was terrified of never seeing you again. I didn't want that weekend to end. And when it did, I only wanted it back. I kept you're picture with me when I traveled. I would stare at it...often." Sabrin kissed Lyssa gently on the lips and whispered, "You are the piece of the puzzle that my life was missing for so long. You made me whole, Lyssa."

Sabrin wiped away the tear that was making its way down Lyssa's cheek.

"I love you so much, Sabrin," Lyssa said softly. "You brought me back to life and introduced me to a level of emotion I didn't know existed. Hold me and don't ever let go."

"I won't let go, Lyssa. I'll never let go of you," he said as he held her tightly in his arms.

They held each other for a long time. Just sitting together, happy with the knowledge they were both dedicated to this relationship. They fell asleep for a little while, both waking hungry.

“I don’t want you tired out from cooking and you said we needed groceries. Let’s go out for dinner.” Sabrin was rubbing her arm with affection.

Lyssa agreed, so they once again bundled into their coats. Sabrin wanted to drive so he could get a feel for “her city”. They went to a nice Chinese restaurant with booths so they could sit side by side. Lyssa had been here before, so she knew the place had good food. What she did not know was that someone had noticed the man in booth J-7 was a well-known actor, but the woman who was with him was not his known girlfriend. This person also just happened to have a camera.

They ordered a wonderful dinner of vegetable spring rolls, Tamarind chicken satay, Szechuan beef and broccoli, pan fried wrinkled string beans and spicy dragon noodles with Sake Sangria to drink, otherwise known as Special #6. To anyone that saw them they looked like a couple in love - talking, laughing, occasionally feeding each other with their chopsticks. It was a wonderful evening.

But it was the way Lyssa was pulling her chopsticks slowly out of her mouth and how she had thrown her leg over his that was having an affect on Sabrin. She also ate spring rolls in a way that made him swallow hard.

Lyssa touched him, kissed him and brushed against him often, and it did not go unnoticed.

By the time the evening of eating was over, Sabrin was near crazy with desire.

Sabrin had his arm around Lyssa's waist as they walked out of the restaurant. Once they were in the car they kissed for a number of minutes while it warmed up. Some condensation started to form on the window as the heat they generated came in contact with the cold glass. Thankfully the restaurant was not far from the condo so they were there in minutes and soon racing to the bedroom. Lyssa was first on the bed giving Sabrin a sexy smirk as he leaped next to her.

“You are the biggest tease I have ever met,” he told her, pulling Lyssa into his arms.

“You didn’t complain in the restaurant,“ she noted.

“It’s hard to complain while panting,” he defended. Lyssa laughed.

“You love it and you know it. Your eyes were shining and you were grinning like a Cheshire cat, kind of like you’re doing right now.”

“Well, this Cheshire cat is done smiling and I have no intention of disappearing either.”

“Not for a week anyway,” she corrected.

“Don’t remind me,” he groaned.

Lyssa pulled out of Sabrin’s arms and rolled over to her bedside table. She hit her alarm clock to on.

“We’re getting up early?” Sabrin asked.

“You don’t have to, but I do. Some people have to work for a living,” she teased.

"You sure you can't call in sick again?" he asked.

"No, I can't," she laughed and pulled him close to kiss him. Sabrin could feel Lyssa's hard nipples against his chest. Another reminder she still had nothing on under her clothes from their visit to the store earlier that day. He brought his hand to her breast tweaking her nipple through the soft wool of her sweater. They sat up for a moment so Sabrin could slowly raise the sweater over her head. His hands running slowly up her body while he did so.

Lyssa gave no resistance as Sabrin lay her back down and paused only long enough to remove his shirt that she had just unbuttoned. Lyssa ran her hands over him, running her fingers though his chest hair and teasing his nipples as he teased hers. His hands moved lower, undoing her pants and sliding a hand within. He lowered his mouth to hers for a desire filled kiss as his fingers found home.

She gasped through their kiss. Sabrin grinned and kissed her again.

“I love making you moan,” he told her and proceeded to cause her to moan deeply again by penetrating her with two fingers and rubbing against her clit with his other fingers.

She reached for his face to guide his lips back to hers. She slid her hands down his body until she reached his jeans. Sabrin withdrew his fingers only long enough to slid her pants off and remove the rest of his own clothing. When he moved on top of Lyssa and penetrated her, she let out another gasp.

"There you go with those sounds again," he said, thrusting into her deeply.

It took an effort for her to speak at all, but she managed. "Not moan...gasp, ahhhh," she sighed with pleasure.

"More to come...ohhhhhh." Words lost any meaning after that. The fire that was building between them, the depth of emotion and sensation made everything else unimportant.

He lifted her so he could take a breast in his mouth as he thrust into her over and over. Deeper and harder. Sucking her nipples until they too felt as though they were filling with fire. She gasped and grabbed at the bed sheets.

She grasped on to them so tightly she could feel her fingernails jabbing into her palms through the fabric. Sabrin released her breast from his mouth and reclaimed her lips. She wrapped her arms around him. Her moans were becoming more frequent as she came closer and closer to orgasm. He continued his deep thrusts until the fire within her erupted.

The fires of their passion soon consumed Sabrin and he too erupted within her depths. He rode out the waves of ecstasy, feeling as though molten lava pulsed through his body and into hers. This time the fire did not die out fully. It left a tiny spark within Lyssa.

Sabrin kissed her forehead, pulled the blankets over them and kissed her again. "Goodnight, my love," he told her, she responded in kind just before falling asleep in his arms.

Lyssa's alarm woke her up at 6:30 a.m. She turned it off quickly so it would not wake Sabrin. She began her usual morning routine of showering, putting on her make-up and getting dressed. She usually grabbed a muffin and coffee from a bakery next door to the building where she worked so she would not have to worry about preparing breakfast in the morning. Before she left for the office, she quietly made her way back into the bedroom to kiss Sabrin. He opened his eyes to see her smiling face.

"I have to go to work now. Go back to sleep," she whispered and kissed him again. "I've left a note on the table that has my direct line on it in case you need to call me at work. I should be home before 6:00."

The week took on a pattern that Sabrin was unfamiliar with since he had not lived with someone who worked office hours while he was not working at all. It had a strange feel, but was not wholly unpleasant. Before Lyssa got home Sabrin would order food to be delivered. Once they had eaten, they would talk for a little while, allowing each to better get to know the other. Eventually, they would fall into bed, clawing at each other’s clothes. They would fall asleep, exhausted after a hot and satisfying lovemaking session. The mornings and afternoons were, at times, rather boring but Sabrin did have time for channel surfing and calling friends.

Sabrin reached for his cell to call Paul. They talked for close to an hour as Sabrin filled his friend in on what had happened since he had called him from the cab days earlier. When Paul asked about the upcoming doctor's appointment, Sabrin let him know he was ready to face anything now that he knew Lyssa would be with him through thick and thin. They also talked about New York and the upcoming start of rehearsals for the play.

"Deborah and I will be in New York in March. I don't know the exact dates yet but we'll make sure to get tickets for a performance. It will be good to see you on stage again."

"Would you like to meet Lyssa?" Sabrin asked. He really wanted to introduce Lyssa to his friends and Paul was the perfect friend to start with.

"Of course I do, Sabrin. I want to meet the woman who has so completely captivated you. I'll let you know when we’ll be in New York so you can make whatever arrangements are necessary."

This call took place on Tuesday. By Friday, Sabrin was running out of people to call, but there were some movies on that he had not seen, so he was content. But when Lyssa came home, he wanted out of the house. They had dinner at another of Lyssa’s favorite restaurants that was wonderful, came home and made love until they were asleep.

The next morning, Lyssa awoke to feel a hungry mouth between her thighs.

Sabrin knew she was awake when he heard that gasp he loved so much. He looked up and smirked at her.

"Good morning." Before she could respond, he had his face buried between her thighs once again. The only sounds Lyssa could make were moans of pleasure. He loved pleasing Lyssa like this especially since she was the first woman who had allowed him any kind of oral sex for years. Her moans always drove him on to please her more, and the more he pleased her, the more she moaned. It was a beautiful cycle.

The cycle continued until Lyssa began taking in soft, sharp little breaths and then arched her back in a glorious orgasm. But one was not enough for him. Sabrin wanted her to cum at least once more. She delighted him by having two more climaxes in quick succession. Only then did Sabrin remove his tongue from between her thighs. When his eyes met hers, there was an animalistic fire in her eyes. She lifted up, grabbed him and rolled him on his back. Her mouth was on his erection so fast he barely had time to catch his breath.

She pumped his shaft with her hand while running her tongue under the head of his penis. Now his moans continued the cycle for her. She firmly moved her mouth up and down his shaft. Twice as he came close to orgasm she would squeeze his balls to bring him back down so she could continue. Finally he could hold back no longer as her mouth was causing such delight. He came in her mouth like a volcano erupting and Lyssa made sure to swallow every drop of the eruption.

Sabrin pulled her to his side as soon as he could move again. He kissed her forehead and held her close. They lay quietly in each other’s arms for several minutes, before Sabrin broke the silence.

"Long Beach or Santa Ana?" Sabrin said, rubbing a hand up and down her back.

"What?" she asked, confused.

"Where do you want to live? Or maybe Santa Clarita?"

Lyssa sat up and looked down at him. "What are you talking about? I live here."

"Yes, too far from me," Sabrin noted. "I want you closer. I need you closer. Don't you want to be able so see each other more often?"

"But 'more often' does not sound like what you're talking about."

"I want to see you as much as possible, Lyssa. A week here and a weekend there is not enough. I love you and I want us to be together."

"But what would be the point of me moving there now? You’re going to be in New York for five months. We have lots of time to talk about this." She kissed him softly on the cheek. "I do want to be with you too, Sabrin but there are other things that need to be taken care of first."

He knew she was talking about Niki when she said that and she was right. The upcoming doctor's appointment would determine exactly how much did need to be taken care of.

The phone rang, pulling the lovers out of their private world. Lyssa leaned over to answer it. It was her friend, Lily with rather disturbing news. Lyssa's face went white as a sheet causing Sabrin to become concerned. Lyssa hung up and rushed to her computer.

By the time she pulled up the site Lily had given her, Sabrin was standing behind her. 

On the screen was a page from an on-line gossip column. This page had very clear pictures of Sabrin and Lyssa at the Chinese restaurant they had gone to the other night. There were two pictures. In one, they were kissing while in the other they were feeding each other food. The headline read "Sirus warps to Chicago and makes new love connection."

Sabrin and Lyssa read the story that went with the pictures. Sabrin was much more upset about having the pictures of their evening shared with the world as it referred to the ‘mystery woman’ as a ‘home wrecking hussy’ amongst other choice names. Sabrin wrapped his arms around Lyssa and told her to ignore it.

"Ignore it? How do I do that? Our faces are plastered on the net and I'm the bitch that ruined your relationship with Niki." Lyssa was on the verge of tears.

"Hey, don't say that. That's not true and you know it. You are certainly not a bitch and my relationship with Niki was dead long before we met. Look at me, Lyssa." He held her face in his hands and looked directly in her eyes. "You have to get that trash out of your mind. If you let every bad thing written about me, you, us get to you, it will make you insane. You have to ignore it. The only thing that is important is that we love each other and we know the truth. Okay?" He kissed her firmly. Lyssa nodded her head but the words still stung.

Niki Edger was just about to leave to go shopping, when her girlfriend, Diane called to tell her to check her e-mail. When Niki did, she was tempted to pick up the monitor and throw it out the window.

Sabrin and his whore kissing in some restaurant in Chicago.

Niki would get him for this. She told her mother she was going to be gone for a while, jumped in her SUV and headed home. The fact her keys did not work in the gate and she was unable to get to the house to tear it up did not make her happy.

Sabrin was going to get it for this one way or another.

Since Niki had not been able to do damage to the house, she decided there were other ways to get even. She decided to head to Rodeo Drive and cheer herself up by making a few purchases on Sabrin’s credit card. She was quite happy he had given her a card on his account. She would enjoy maxing it out and sticking him with the bill. Her first stop would be the Armani store. She tried on a number of expensive items and chose three that, not coincidently, happened to be the most expensive. Niki was in for quite a surprise though when she handed the clerk the credit card. The clerk swiped the card then, after a few moments, picked up a pair of scissors and cut it in half.

"What are you doing to my credit card?" Niki yelled.

"I'm sorry ma'am but the card has been cancelled and the credit card company gave instructions to cut it up. Would you like to use a different card for your purchases?" she asked.

"No!" Niki said angrily and stormed out of the store.

The weekend was slipping away, and Lyssa still seemed worried about how the gossip story was going to affect their future.

“Niki will see it. Someone will send it to her or she’ll find it herself. That is a passionate kiss we’re sharing in that first one,” Lyssa lamented.

They were taking a walk in the cold since Sabrin was hoping this would clear her mind. So far, no luck. Sabrin turned and took hold of her shoulders. “Lyssa, she already knew there was someone. I love you and you love me, true?” he asked.

“Yes.”

He pulled her close to him and wrapped his arms around her.

"She is the past, Lyssa. You are my present and my future. Don't ever forget that,” he whispered.

Lyssa wrapped her arms around Sabrin and whispered back, "I won't."

They stood there for a few minutes before resuming their walk.

"There is a bright side to all of this," he assured her. "Our relationship is in the open now. We can go anywhere and do anything we want. Look around, Lyssa, at all of these people in the park. I can stand here and proclaim 'I love Lyssa Page' proudly for everyone to hear."

"And I can proudly proclaim 'I love Sabrin Berry'," Lyssa laughed.

"Ah there's my girl. I love that smile," he said and kissed her passionately in the middle of the park, not caring who might be watching.

Lyssa was feeling better after Sabrin’s foolish antics in the park. He stopped several people just to tell them he loved this woman. Most did not know who either of them was, but one young woman did recognize Sabrin and looked a little stunned by the whole thing.

They returned to Lyssa’s condo cold and in need of thawing. They decided a nice warm shower would be just the thing.

They undressed together and, for what must have been the hundredth time, Lyssa thought about how sexy Sabrin was, clothed or unclothed but unclothed offered so many more possibilities.

The warmth of the water felt good on their chilled bodies but the heat they generated together was what really warmed them up. They kissed passionately while the water danced on their bodies. Sabrin’s sensuous caresses sent a shiver up Lyssa's body. He had such a gentle touch when they made love. He knew exactly how and where to touch her to get the response he wanted and she loved it.

Doubt and fear were erased from her mind as Sabrin held her in his strong embrace. He kissed his way down her face to the nape of her neck. He kissed and sucked here. It took her a moment to realize he was sucking in one place harder than before. When realization hit her, she cried out in playful indignation.

“Sabrin Berry! Why did you just give me a hickey?” She gave him a swat on the behind and tried to glare at him, but the adorable grin he had on his face as he looked at her, made even trying to look angry with him, impossible.

“I wanted to give you something to remember me by. I leave tonight. I have little nail marks from you. I wanted to give you something.”

Lyssa wrapped him up in her arms. She had been trying not to think about him leaving. Since she had to go to work in the morning and Sabrin’s flight was at midnight, she would not even be able to see him off. He was planning on taking a taxi to the airport and she had agreed it was for the best, but she did not have to like it. Time to give him something more to remember her by, she decided, as she moved her hands to his nice round and very sexy ass. She pulled him closer and could feel his erection pressing against her. She kissed him hard and long before maneuvering herself into position against the wall of the shower. She wrapped her leg around Sabrin’s hip pulling him closer. He penetrated her with deep thrusts that again caused her to gasp. Their kisses were passionate and hot, almost desperate in a way, as they did not want their time together to end.

She loved the feel of him inside her. Moving in rhythm to the beat of their hearts. His hands moved over her and everywhere he touched was on fire. When he took a breast in his mouth, she moved to allow him easier access. She loved the feel of his tongue teasing her nipples. He kissed, licked and sucked them. This and his deep and powerful thrusts made her weak with desire. She was sure she was falling when she slipped over the sweet edge and experienced an explosive climax.

Sabrin came soon after Lyssa. They held each other for a few moments until the water in the shower started to turn cold so they both quickly jumped out and laughed. After they toweled each other off, they held each other and shared another incredible kiss. They gathered up their clothes and went back to Lyssa's bedroom. They could not get enough of each other on their last day together.

Lyssa pulled Sabrin’s clothes out of his hands and propelled him back onto the bed. Starting at his toes, Lyssa licked and kissed her way up Sabrin’s body. She nudged his leg apart and worked her way up to his balls. He gasped with pleasure as she took one in her mouth, tonguing it, gently. She fondled the other, moving her fingers over the sensitive skin teasingly. Sabrin had been erect by the time her tongue had reached his thigh. It was throbbing now with the need to be sheathed within her body.

Lyssa was not going to make Sabrin wait. She released him from her mouth and moved up his body to straddle him and lowered herself on his still throbbing erection. Sabrin grabbed onto Lyssa's butt and squeezed firmly. As she leaned down to kiss him, his hands moved up to her breasts. He kneaded her breasts gently, using his thumbs to play with her hard nipples.

Lyssa and Sabrin began to move together, slowly at first. Lyssa would squeeze him as tightly as she could as he pushed into her. He sighed deeply at the wonderful sensation. After several moments of the exquisite torture, Sabrin encouraged her to quicken their pace. He pulled her down, sucking, nipping and kissing her breast. The wonderful tingling from his mouth and his shaft filling her over and over again drove her into ecstasy. Sabrin grabbed her butt, driving into her harder and deeper as he too came.

Lyssa moved next to Sabrin. They were lying on their sides facing each other. Sabrin caressed Lyssa's face slowly.

"I miss you already," Lyssa whispered.

Sabrin kissed her softly and whispered back, "me too." They wrapped their arms tightly around each other not wanting to let go. He thought ahead to New York and hoped that seeing each other more frequently might lead her to agree to move.

He looked into her eyes and saw some of the worry returning. “Baby or no baby, I love you. Niki and I are over. I will be leaving for New York on Wednesday evening. I’ll put the house up on the market as soon as I get to LA.”

Lyssa took a breath and nodded. “Call me Monday and let me know the results, okay?” Sabrin nodded and kissed her again.

“As soon as things are somewhat settled, I’ll send you a ticket to come see me. When do you get vacation?” he asked.

“Planning my life already?” she teased. “Not ‘til June but I can reschedule if needed. I have seniority. I’ve been there for eight years. What things need to settle?”

“I have to learn the role. Takes some time and I’m a bear when I’m learning a new part. You don’t want to be there then.”

Lyssa caressed his chest. “You just need someone to tame the beast or give him another form of outlet.” She raised her eyebrows at him suggestively. Sabrin chuckled.

"Once I'm in New York you'll have to call me on my cell until I have a place sublet. They have a few places lined up for me to see so hopefully I'll have something arranged quickly." He kissed Lyssa again.

"Are you hungry? I can make dinner while you pack."

Sabrin nodded his head. After they were dressed, Lyssa went to the kitchen to prepare something special for dinner. When Sabrin had finished packing, he placed his bag near the door and then joined Lyssa in the kitchen.

"All packed?" Lyssa asked.

"Yes but the strangest thing, I think I'm missing a pair of boxers," he replied.

Lyssa laughed. ~ Sonny! ~

"What's so funny about- Lyssa?" Sabrin asked, suspiciously.

“Let’s just say it was cheaper than a car,” she told him and offered him a spoon to taste.

“Wow, good. What is it?” he asked, licking his lips.

“Chicken Marsala. I have the salad in the fridge, can you get it out?” Sabrin nodded. The whole kitchen smelled wonderful and it was making Sabrin’s mouth water.

The table was set, the food served and wine poured. The lovers dug in, enjoying every morsel. After dinner, Sabrin helped her clean up. The evening was drawing to a close as Sabrin called for a taxi. He made sure Lyssa had his cell number, home number, and even Paul Smythe’s number, just in case.

Lyssa made sure Sabrin had the paper with her direct line at work.

"Call as soon as you know. It doesn't matter what time it is," she assured him. She wrapped her arms around him and they kissed until they saw the headlights of the taxi pull up in front of Lyssa's building.

"I love you," Sabrin told her as he gave her another quick kiss.

"I love you," she replied.

He kept looking back as he walked to the taxi. The driver put Sabrin’s bag in the trunk. Lyssa was still standing at the building’s front door, watching him leave. Just before Sabrin got into the taxi, he called to her again. "I love you, Lyssa." She blew him a kiss. He got in the taxi and was gone. The tears were flowing now. Saying goodbye was getting harder each time. She knew it would never get easier.

Sabrin sunk down in the back seat of the taxi and stayed there, feeling sullen for the whole ride to the airport. On the plane, Sabrin pulled out the pictures he and Lyssa had copied from her earlier ones and the pictures they had taken this trip. He even had a picture of Lyssa lying on her stomach in bed, nude and covered only from the waist down. She was so beautiful and sexy. This flight, Sabrin did not sleep much.

He got home just after 3:00 a.m. his time and went straight to bed. The only thing was it was missing a woman who had never stepped foot in this house. And, mostly likely, never would.

Niki called Sabrin at 10:00 a.m., waking him up.

“Just get back for seeing your slut? Your pictures are all over the web. If I am pregnant, I’ll make sure to tell your child what a shit his father is,” Niki all but screamed at him just after he said hello.

“Nice to hear from you too, Niki,” Sabrin replied, caustically.

"Don't use that tone with me, you bastard. Do you know how humiliating it was to have pictures of you and your little whore emailed to me. How long was I gone before you jumped a plane to Chicago to see that bitch? You changed the locks and security code at the house.  You cancelled my credit card. What else do you plan on doing? Damn it, Sabrin why are you doing this to me?" Niki was shouting in the phone.

"Are you calling to remind me about the appointment or just to yell. I'll be at the doctor's at 3:00," Sabrin told her. There was no hint of emotion in his voice.

"You better be," and she slammed down the phone.

Sabrin cut the connection on his end and lay back down on his bed. A moment later he got up and got busy. He made some coffee and showered while it brewed. Lyssa was very much on his mind here and out of the shower. He did not like the slanderous story on the web or Niki calling Lyssa vulgar names, but then that was the point of using them. Niki wanted to upset him, but he was not going to be rattled. Today, Sabrin was going to pull Sirus out of the closest and wear him like a suit. When Sirus used the computer half of his brain, he was as unemotional as that guy on Star Trek with the pointed ears.  No emotion, no upset.

While drinking the awful coffee he had made, he called his realtor and made arrangements for the house to be put on the market. He then called to have movers come pack everything and put it in storage. Niki could get what she wanted from there. No, he would have her things sent to her. He was not going to punish her for not keeping his heart.

Once all the dirty work was done, he sat back and watched some sitcom reruns and laughed himself silly. At 2:30, the television went off and so did Sabrin Berry's emotions.

He drove to the doctor's office arriving a few minutes before 3:00. When he did not see Niki, he asked the nurse if she had arrived yet. The nurse indicated that Niki had arrived a half hour earlier to give a blood sample and was now in the doctor's office. Sabrin asked why they needed to draw blood. The nurse explained they were not able to get a sufficient urine sample so the doctor decided to do a blood test instead. She told him the results were in and escorted him to the examination room. The doctor would be there in a few minutes. As soon as the door closed, Niki walked over to Sabrin and slapped his face. She then sat down and did not say another word until the doctor came in. The doctor noticed the red mark on Sabrin’s cheek right away and knew this was not going to be a routine appointment.

"Good afternoon Niki, Sabrin," he dispensed with the usual pleasantries and decided it was best to go straight to the test results.

"I'm sorry Niki, but the results were negative. But you are still-“ The rest of the doctor’s comments were cut off by Sabrin reaching across the man’s desk and grabbing his hand to shake it, enthusiastically.

“Thank you doctor, that is wonderful news,” Sabrin told the older man, still pumping his hand. Sabrin could hear Niki start to boil over behind him. He had lost that unemotional edge, but Sabrin pulled it back out and waited for her to explode. At least he would not have to buy his way out of the doghouse this time.

“You! This is not over. I’m going to take you to the cleaners! You won’t have any money left for you and your whore!” she shouted.

“May I remind you of the cohabitation agreement, drawn up by your lawyer by the way, which we signed. It clearly states what we are both entitled to,” ‘Sirus’ told her. “I will forward your belongings to your parents’ residence. I wish you well, Niki. Good-bye.” He nodded at her and the doctor and walked out. Niki tried to chase after him, but there was the matter of the bill and a rather large nurse stopped her pursuit.

Sabrin felt like a huge weight had just been removed from his shoulder. He could not wait to tell Lyssa. He checked his watch. He knew Lyssa would not be home for another fifteen minutes so he drove to his favorite florist and ordered a dozen roses to be delivered to her at work the next day. When he finished at the florist, he returned to his car in the parking lot knowing Lyssa would now be home. He dialed her number and she answered on the first ring.

"Great news, Lyssa!" Sabrin exclaimed.

"She's not?" Lyssa replied.

"She's not!" Sabrin confirmed. "The doctor did a blood test that is 100% accurate. She's not and we're free! Oh, God! I wish you were in my arms right now."

"I can feel you holding me, Sabrin."

Sabrin sighed deeply. “I love you. I miss you so much.”

“It’s only been hours, you know,” she teased. “You’ll make it. I, however, am going to be a basket case in two days.” She laughed and he did too. “I love you and miss you too. Where are you? I hear cars.”

“A parking garage,“ he told her.

“Go home, Sabrin. Relax and have some cheeseburgers and beer. We can breathe now, so just breathe.”

“I’ll call you soon,” he promised.

“I’ll answer.”

Sabrin drove home but the first thing he did when he got inside was call Paul to tell him the good news. Paul was glad to hear from Sabrin. After he told Paul that Niki was not pregnant, he filled him in on how near perfect his trip to Chicago had been with the only negative thing being that story posted on the Internet. They agreed to get together before the end of the month for dinner and hung up. He was relaxing on the couch when he decided to check his voicemail. He dialed in to listen to the messages when his eyes went wide. There was a message from his mother. She had been shown the pictures of her son on the Internet with a woman and wanted to know what was going on. He hung up the phone and then began to dial. He knew he would have some explaining to do.

Sabrin took a breath and listened to the rings. His mother always answered on the third ring, if she was there. She did just that causing her son to smile at her predictability.

“Sabrin! Where have you been? I’ve been calling you for days, but all I get is that damned voicemail. What’s going on?” She sounded more worried than angry.

“I was in Chicago, Ma. I had my cell. You could have called it,” he assured her.

“You know I hate calling cellular phones and you...you didn’t have a phone to check your messages from even once while you were gone.” She had him there. “But that is not important. I want you to tell me what is going on. Where has Niki been and what are these pictures I was shown. They look recent.”

~ Here it comes. ~

“Niki has moved out by mutual consent. The pictures are current. Her name is Lyssa and I am in love with her,” Sabrin explained.

“So, is this one Jewish?”

"Yes, Lyssa is Jewish," he replied.

"She certainly is a pretty girl but that story they printed-"

Sabrin interrupted her. "I know, and you know, that Niki and I were living a lie for quite a while. I met Lyssa in August when I was in Denver and I fell in love with her."

"You’ve been seeing this lady since August and you didn't tell me?"

"After we left Denver it took me four months to find her again. We saw each other earlier this month in New York. When I got back to LA I told Niki it was over and she went to her parents’ house."

"And you went to Chicago to have your picture taken," she added.

"I love her very much,” he told her.

"And she loves you?"

"Yes, she loves me."

"So what else is happening in your life that you haven't told me about?"

Sabrin told her about the play he was going to be in and how he had put his house on the market.

"Is that everything?" she questioned.

"Yes, that's everything."

"Okay. Now Sabrin, when am I going to meet Lyssa?"

“Give it some time, Ma. I just found her. I don’t want to scare her off,” Sabrin teased. His mother “harrumphed” at him. “I’ve only been with her three times, Ma. Let me make sure I have her hook, line and sinker before you give her the third degree.”

“Three times? Are you telling me how many times you’ve gotten together with her, or how many times she’s been in your bed?”

“MA!”

“Since she’s Jewish, are you going to marry this one? I’d like to see my son married before I die and some grandchildren would not kill you.”

Sabrin closed his eyes and shook his head. Mothers never change.

“I’ll see if I can arrange for you to meet her soon, but Ma, with you in Arizona, Lyssa in Chicago and me in New York, it may take a while. I’ll call you, promise.”

“You had better."

Sabrin’s mother proceeded to get him caught up on family news but would periodically throw in a question about his relationship with Lyssa. They said their good-byes with Sabrin once again promising she would meet Lyssa soon. After he hung up the phone, he let out a sigh. That had gone a lot better than he had expected. He made a list of the things he needed to do before leaving for New York. It was tedious but necessary.